Give yourself away!

Well…it’s that time of year. The time of year when we seem to be a little more grateful, a little more thankful and a little more giving. But what happens when the calendar turns to the New Year and we return to old habits and routines? What is it about glittering lights and sleigh bells that makes us give? I spoke recently at a retreat about giving ourselves away. A gift to someone doesn’t have to be in a gift bag or box. The greatest gift we can give to another is US! Our time, our service, our words, our hugs etc.! I asked God what that would look like in my life and he reminded of a time when I gave something very easy, small and inexpensive away…a scarf. A simple scarf that I hardly ever wore. Let me explain. When I visit my mom in West Virginia, my mom always makes me feel special. One of the things that she does is she pays to have my dirty mom van cleaned. What a treat! We go to a small carwash that is owned my a sweet Greek woman. She makes “Bessie” (that is what I call my van with 190,000 miles) look brand new. One time, during the cleaning, she complimented ME on a scarf that she found hiding behind taco bell cups and candy wrappers. God prompted me to “give it away.” I did and you would have thought that I had given her a treasure. She raved and thanked me over and over again for a simple scarf. God reminded me of the blessings that I have in my life and also the abundance of material items that I don’t need. What if I intentionally tried to give myself away every day…and it included a scarf. So…starting tomorrow…I am wearing a scarf. My prayer is that God will put someone in my path that needs the scarf more than I do. Would you like to join me in this challenge? Would you like to start giving yourself away?